Listen to the main theme from Fantastic Beasts by James Newton Howard

Thanks to the genius of John Williams, the Oscar-nominated music from HARRY POTTER (in particular, Hedwig’s Theme) can stand alongside the other great movie compositions in history like STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES and BACK TO THE FUTURE. Though Williams was not able to do the music for all the movies, composer Alexandre Desplat ended the series on a high note, and James Newton Howard has taken over for FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. Will he be able to bring magic to the music like Williams and Desplat? Well, how about you hear for yourself.

Thanks to Pottermore we now can listen to the main theme (aptly titled Main Theme) from the upcoming POTTER spinoff, and those who listen will immediately hear the classic Williams tune before the score becomes something entirely its own.

Have a merry ol’ listen below!

Again, the Williams theme is instantly recognizable, but then Howard evolves it over the course of almost three minutes into something playful, epic, curious and wondrous. Howard told Pottermore that he composed the music over a seven-month period, and for this track he just sat down at his piano and played until the music came to him:

“You hear the main theme song of the movie play when the main crew arrive at the MACUSA the first time and various other times. You hear this haunting kind of theme. If you had to say what is the theme for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for now and in the future, it would be that theme. I wrote it on my piano because I believe that if that kind of thing is going to be good, it should be done that simply.”

The soundtrack itself will come out on November 18 along with the film, and though many will just download it or stream it on some fancy IPod device, the actual physical copy will act as a two-disc deluxe edition with fancy cover art, which you can check out below.

If this score is symbolic of anything it’s that FANTASTIC BEASTS will adhere to the same magic and imaginative scope the original series did while still being its own beast. The theme has that big booming orchestration to it that will make it resonate with audiences, and though it may not be as memorable as Williams’ original piece, it does a pretty stellar job of standing on its own two feet...or paws. Get it? Because of the whole beast thing.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM will feature a bevy of wondrous music when it comes out on November 18.